Five Things to Know Today, Dec. 20

Welcome to Tuesday. Only five more days until Christmas! Here are some things to know about the day in Lilburn and beyond.

The weather: There's a 50-50 chance of rain today, mainly after 1 p.m., but it will still be unseasonably warm, with a high of about 61 degrees. The chance of rain increases to 80 percent tonight, with a high of around 54.

Gas prices: Still below three bucks for regular in some places. Check Patch's Traffic & Gas report before heading out this morning.

G.I. Blues and Blue Suede Shoes. Elvis Presley was already an established rock star when he received his draft notice in the mail at his new home, Graceland, on Dec. 20, 1957. His fans asked the Army to skip him, but Elvis went ahead and reported for duty in March. He did six months' basic training and then took a ship to Europe, where he was stationed with a tank unit in Germany. He did live off post with family and some Memphis friends, and during a party at the house he met his future wife, Priscilla Beaulieu, who was then 14. Elvis reached the rank of sergeant before he was discharged in 1960.

Visions of sugar plums. Among the Gwinnett County parks activities for winter break, "Dancing with the Sugar Plum Fairy" is on today in two sessions, for ages 3 to 5 in the morning and ages 6 – 10 in the afternoon. Children hear the story of the Nutcracker, learn ballet, make a keepsake ornament, have a snack and present a short performance for parents. It's at Bogan Park Community Recreation Center in Buford.

Solidarity. The United Nations does a lot of things through the year to encourage, basically, decency among people. Today is International Human Solidarity Day, created in 2005 to underscore the importance of solidarity around the planet as a basis for development and peace. So show some solidarity today. It fits the Christmas, Hanukkah, Yule and various seasonal spirits anyway.